Yeonhwa spat out the piece of meat she was eating with a grand flair at those words, making Lirisia furrow her brow.
“Cough! Cough!”
Damn it. So wasteful.
“W-what was that? Cough…! N-no… what do you mean by that?!”
“What, am I hitting the nail on the head? You think I wouldn’t know?”
As Lirisia shook her skewer with a cheeky grin, Yeonhwa bit her lip tightly.
“N-no, that’s just a joke. I-I mean, why would I want to… eat my sister, Shia?! What blasphemous words are those?!”
“Blasphemous? You don’t even worship her, right? She’s not exactly going to be doing missionary work here.”
“Well, that may be true, but…!”
Feeling wronged, Yeonhwa raised her voice.
“I would never want to touch my sister’s voluptuous body while she sleeps! I-I only want to cuddle a bit, but I’ve never thought of doing something so depraved…!”
“Oh really? I said one thing, and you’re already imagining having triplets and sending them off to elementary school?”
“W-what!? Triplets…?”
In that moment, Yeonhwa briefly imagined lovely children with her blue hair and Shia’s white hair mixed together.
“……..”
“Oh come on, you’re just as depraved, aren’t you?”
“Oh my, oh my~ I’m quite interested in that story too!”
“You too?”
“Weren’t you just about to talk about my benefactor, Seongnyeo Isia’s, sexual preferences?”
“….Ha.”
Olgania, who had been keeping her distance, seemed to take quite an interest in the conversation, smiling and leaning forward slightly to listen.
I’m full already.
Of course, it was natural to show interest in a story that seemed fun now.
“Hey, I’m saying this because I’m just like her. How would I know if it would help you?”
“Shia is different from you!”
“Oh come on, you know it’s true, right? I don’t have her ability to judge lies, but I can at least get a good handle on people’s emotions and thoughts. In that sense, come sit here. I’m about to tell you an amazing story.”
“An amazing story…?”
Okay, I’m not totally uninterested.
Lirisia’s advice would definitely be useful since it pertains to another aspect of Shia, another ending, and though they’re different, they’re the same person.
Besides, Lirisia isn’t the Witch of the Dark Star anymore; she’s human, right?
Thinking that there would be no malice, Yeonhwa decided to lend an ear to Lirisia’s counsel.
“Hey, you know it’s true, right? Compared to Esserati… I mean, Teresa and Menelapie, you’re a bit underwhelming.”
“What!?”
“You were aware of this, huh?”
At those words, Yeonhwa’s eyes widened as if she had been poked right in the chest.
“You know how tight the bonds and connections are among the three heroes who saved the world from the Demon King, right? It’s not easy to squeeze in between them.”
“W-well, you can’t know what people will do…”
“Hey, Queen Kanf, what about you?”
“Mumble, gulp. Me?!”
When Lirisia called her out suddenly, Olgania tilted her head in confusion.
“You and that liar hero, Yujin, right? You and he are pretty close, aren’t you?”
“Yeeah, that’s right!”
“Now imagine if someone tried to squeeze between you and Yujin.”
“Hmm, well, I don’t really think Yujin would… go for anyone else.”
“For example, what if I suddenly developed feelings for Yujin and started getting clingy with him?”
—Kuwung!
In that instant, Olgania’s new model that had been sitting a bit away suddenly dashed toward Lirisia.
No, “dashed” is an understatement; it’d be more accurate to say it charged.
A hard look, utterly frozen like a mask, lingered on Olgania’s face, and an energy that hardly matched her title as the Elf Queen and Child of the World Tree surrounded her, similar to that of a Demon King.
In fact, some parts that made up Olgania came from fragments of the Demon King.
‘Ha, is this Queen Kanf or Demon King Kanf?’
It was sudden, but Lirisia seemed to expect this much, gazing into Olgania’s eyes as if to say, ‘Here we go again.’
“Lirisia.”
“What?”
“Don’t tell me my Yujin, no matter how charming he is, is already laying the groundwork for a tail to wag behind him?”
“I’m not into shorties.”
“Ah.”
Just a moment ago, Olgania had looked ready to punch someone, but Lirisia’s remark that she had no interest in Yujin seemed to bring her back to her calm demeanor.
“Oh my, oh my. I’m really sorry, Lirisia. I’m the one who’s being childish and rude…”
“Anyway, you saw Queen Kanf, right? I doubt she’s as obsessively clingy, but squeezing in between a hero party’s tight bonds is no common thing.”
“…B-but Sister Menelapie encouraged me, calling me young Yeonhwa…”
“Oh dear, you really are dense, aren’t you?”
Lirisia, with a pitying look, took a bite of her grilled beef skewer, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Mumble, that’s just her saying you’re her younger sibling.”
“Younger sibling…?”
“It’s an unwavering belief that she’s in a dominant position. So she’s just including you as if to offer her mercy.”
“….!”
Of course, Lirisia’s words were far from the truth. Right now, she was merely piling up flags left and right and feeling quite amused.
Not just one or two people—but planting flags all over the world, so throwing down a single bomb would probably relieve her of her burdens.
However, it was true that Yeonhwa felt an unconscious inferiority complex toward Teresa and Menelapie, who were the closest to Shia. So even if Lirisia’s words had no basis, she was starting to be persuaded from within.
“Of course, Menelapie or Shia would treat you equally. But even if they treat you fairly, it doesn’t mean the fact that they look down on you will disappear, you know?”
“………”
At those words, Yeonhwa’s face grew cold and stiff.
Even if it might not be true, it held a certain persuasive power.
No, to be precise, it was more about how Yeonhwa thought of herself as being inferior compared to Menelapie and Teresa in many ways.
‘Ha, I’m totally caught up in this.’
Lirisia secretly smiled to herself.
If she truly intended to corrupt Yeonhwa, she felt that it might actually be possible.
Well, since she’s not the Witch of the Dark Star, she doesn’t really need to go that far… but perhaps a bit of mischief for fun would be acceptable.
“So I’ll give you a tip that could help you, Ding-Dong.”
“What is it?”
At the mention of a tip, Yeonhwa’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“First, be honest. And go straight for it.”
“Straight for it…”
“I mean… no, Isia knows that you like her. She’s aware of all the subtle signs of affection or those unspoken relationships around her, you know? She’s trying to avoid wrecking her current relationship or controlling the thoughts and emotions of those around her through gaslighting, so she’s been subtly deflecting or avoiding questions. But she’s not an idiot… no, she is an idiot, but her past experience in the previous world isn’t for nothing.”
“She knows everything…? My sister?”
“She might be a lot younger than me, but she’s not a total newbie at life.”
Surely, Shia, having killed the Demon King and navigated the deadly political landscape of the Empire and the Rose Church, while being the Emperor’s right hand and the World’s Seongnyeo, wouldn’t lack such awareness.
“So just charge in. Go straight to Shia and say, ‘Let’s have sex, damn it!’”
“Oh no, I can’t just say that!!!”
“Oh come on, if you don’t want to, do it however you wish.”
Lirisia picked up a well-grilled piece of beef skewer again.
Although it had a slight charred smell, it was still tasty.
“So I’ll give you another tip. She’s a masochist.”
“Huh…?”
“On the surface, she’ll say she doesn’t like it, but in reality, she prefers receiving rather than giving. And she’s not just a masochist; she’s a total loser of a masochist. Usually, masochists have strong endurance, but her pain tolerance is high while her pleasure tolerance is pathetic.”
“…….?”
What on earth does that mean?
Confused by Lirisia’s words, Yeonhwa’s face looked blank as if she’d had a brain freeze.
“Oh my, oh my~”
But Olgania seemed to immediately understand what Lirisia was saying.
“It turns out Seongnyeo is surprisingly similar to Yujin~? Hehe~”
“You too? Anyway, to put it simply, our Mangja Seongnyeo will say things like ‘No, that’s wrong, that can’t be!’ creating all sorts of excuses to stop or escape. But what it actually means is, ‘Do more.’ ‘Push me harder.’”
“Oh no, how do you know that?!”
“Because I was like that.”
“Huh?”
With Lirisia’s unexpected proclamation, Yeonhwa looked dumbfounded.
“Hey, Ding-Dong. I’m also Isia. Although different people, I’m the same. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize my own twisted preferences? This Isia here doesn’t seem to quite grasp it, but I had a ton of time for contemplation. Since I’m now used to pain, it doesn’t feel as hurtful, and naturally, I began to crave intense stimulation, which led me to become a bit of a goblin masochist…”
“Kyaah! Stop it!!”
“Should I tell you where her pleasure zones are?”
“……..”
“Oh? Are you interested?”
“N-no!!!”
“By the way, you don’t really have to look for her pleasure zones. They’re all pretty lame.”
“Seriously…!!”
Of course, Lirisia’s words weren’t 100% truthful, but neither were they completely false.
When pulling a scam, it’s best to mix truth with lies.
If she exaggerates and confuses another’s judgment, that’s enough for success.
What’s truly real and what’s false is something Yeonhwa would have to determine moving forward.
“Puhuh.”
Olgania seemed to be enjoying the conversation between Yeonhwa and Lirisia, grinning and thinking, ‘Should I try it out with Yujin?’ while Yeonhwa was still in shock, unable to process Lirisia’s words.
Pleased with having corrupted another poor little sheep today, Lirisia picked up a new skewer.
And just then…
—Kuwung!
“Hmm?”
“What is it?”
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, a hero appeared.
Wait, why is a hero here?
“………Shia, I’m sorry. Shia, I’m sorry. Shia, I’m sorry…”
“W-what’s wrong with him?”
Wrapped in a grayish aura, limply stretching out his arms and legs, his eyes looked utterly desolate.
Against the darkness, Menelapie’s figure became clear, resembling a ghost.
Of course, the three knew Menelapie wasn’t emitting killing intent toward them, but her sudden appearance wrapped in grayish aura was startling enough.
Normally, it would be expected to greet her, but a somber aura emanating from Menelapie made it feel impossible to initiate conversation.
—Paan!
“Aah, damn it!”
“Wha?!
“Oh my!”
Then, just as suddenly, Menelapie vanished without a trace.
What is this?
What on earth is this…?
“….”
“Isn’t that Menelapie?”
“…..Yeah. Yeah, that seems like it…”
“Huh?”
“Why?”
“Our grilled beef skewers… they’re gone?”
“…Huh?”
The three exchanged bewildered glances, staring blankly at the direction where Menelapie had disappeared.
In the distance, her hands were holding the skewers sizzling away on the campfire and plates filled with uncooked skewers.
“…..”
“…..”
“…Ahhahaha…”
For a moment, silence hung in the air.
The skewer that had been sizzling on the campfire and the ones on the icy plate had vanished without a trace.
Um, well…
Phew.
Alright.
Lirisia seemed to have grasped the situation, nodding her head, before shouting.
“That damn hero just pulled a Lupin on our beef skewers!”
“……”
“Oh my goodness…”
In disbelief, Yeonhwa shut her eyes tightly.
